The Truth of Riding a MotoGP Bike
Wednesday, May 20 2009 @ 08:28 AM ICT
Contributed by: news
It was not always like this, back in the time of the 500cc two-strokes, Grand Prix bikes where wondrously light, frighteningly powerful, MotoGP bikes back then were rare-groove motorcycles in extremes. They were truly evil works of art and a breed apart – nothing like the motorcycles you or I used on the road, which only made them more alluring. And they were unspeakable difficult to ride – beasts that'd high-side you to hell for the slightest indiscretion.
This is why riders like Schwantz and Doohan became closer friends with GP surgeon Dr. Costa than they'd have liked.
The 500cc two-stroke Grand Prix bikes where so bad and nasty that they took 500s to the brink of extinction. Grids dwindled to the point where Honda suggested switching to 375cc two-strokes while the FIM proposed street-based 600s.